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“She is. Let’s just say she would’ve hit Mark first and asked questions later. You have a lot more restraint than her.” I press the bandage down to make sure it sticks, and my fingertips drift to the swelling around the gauze. His skin is puffy, but soft. He takes my hand and drops it, holding it. He intertwines his fingers with mine, and I cannot breathe.
Time stops. I do not know what is about to happen. I’m standing in front of him, and Jackson is at my chest, staring up at me.
This feels romantic, but it’s not. It can’t be. No way.
“Thank you, Shiloh.”
“You’re welcome” comes out breathier than I expected.
Jackson lifts out of his seat and towers over me. I swallow, hard, as his hands rest on my arms. His stare sears me. My eyes close, and I lift my chin slightly. The air moves, and I wonder if he’s lowering his head or if he’s lifting the ice to his chin. The door opens and I jump, stepping back, out of Jackson’s grip. Jackson spins away, creating distance between us.
“Mark’s gone,” Emily says. “Lance is outside. He wants to talk to you.”
Lance is the chief of police in Goldheart. I’ve met him a couple times when he’s come in for a beer on the weekends with his wife.
“I’ll be out soon,” Jackson says.
If this was a moment, it’s now over.
Jackson holds the ice to his face as he walks out, lingering in the doorframe. “Thanks for your help, Sunny.” Emily follows him out and I’m left in this breakroom, shell-shocked.
I scrunch my nose and shake my face. A cold sweat overcomes me. Was he lowering his head to kiss me? My eyes were closed so I can’t be sure. He could’ve pitied me, laughed in a way you don’t make sound.
She thinks I’m going to kiss her, she’s so silly.That’s absolutely what he was thinking.
21
Jackson
Ialmost kissed Shiloh.
She looked up at me with lips parted and temptation was too great. Because of the height difference, I had to bridge the space between us, and my neck was mid-bend when my sister interrupted. Shiloh jumped back when she saw Emily, and I spun away.
“Do you think this is right?” Emily asks as we park at Goldheart Community Park. I wait for my sister to mention it, but she doesn’t bring it up, even as we’re on the way to bamboozle our dad. We hatched the plan last week. Our dad is the hardest person to shop for. He always says he doesn’t want anything, he has everything he needs. The man will wear his favorite T-shirt until it has holes in it and reads all his books from the library. He loves beer, but he would be insulted if you gifted him anything but Woody Finch, and it makes no sense to give him his own product.
However, this is the one present we can get him, but we can’t show up with the dog. There’s too much at risk. I want to make sure my dad wants the dog. That’s why we’re orchestrating a blind date that my dad doesn’t know about with Koda.
“This could be a disaster, but this is a really good idea,” Emily had said when I brought it up.
“I figured since the last one died on my watch,” I say with a chuckle, but Emily looks at me with a straight face.
“Don’t joke about it. That wasn’t your fault,” Emily says. “It was just a freak accident. You had nothing to do with it.”
“Kinda feels like it was,” I say as we walk to the park. Patches of melted snow adorn the ground, but the dog still looks alert, the tail standing straight up and flowing back and forth as we approach. He’s not barking; that’s good.
The director of the rescue, Priscilla Veracruz, waves, her dark hair hidden by a soft grey beanie.
“Hi Jackson, nice to see you again,” Priscilla says, shaking my hand and then shaking my sister’s hand. I kneel and the dog puts his paws on my knees, licking my face like it’s made of chicken breast.
“So, you remember me,” I say. I rub the dog’s head, and he opens his mouth, panting. “How has he been?”
“Rambunctious, but he’s a happy-go-lucky dog. Loves people. The prior owner did a great job. So, your dad? We’re surprising him?”
My sister and I nod and let out a dual sibling breath. “We’re not sure he’s ready yet. His previous dog died at the beginning of the year.”
“I know. We were so sad when Woody passed.”
I tilt my head. “You knew Woody?”
